Pop-folk duo Chad & Jeremy reunite for 1st tour since '80s

Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, known as Chad & Jeremy, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe St., Monroe. Tickets, $35 for adults, $32 for seniors, and $18 for students, are available from the box office. Information: 734-242-7722.

A British Invasion pop-folk duo that racked up a string of hits in the 1960s hopes to re-create some of its old magic Saturday night at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts in Monroe.

Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, two drama students-turned-musicians, endeared themselves to Americans with guest appearances on the television shows The Dick Van Dyke Show, the Patty Duke Show, Laredo, and Batman.

Known on both sides of the Atlantic simply as Chad & Jeremy, their only real hit in England was "Yesterday's Gone."

Here in the States, they also drew a following for "Summer Song," "Willow Weep for Me," "If I Loved You," "Before and After," and "Distant Shores."

Stuart, 64, now lives in Idaho, where he teaches music. Clyde, 65, returned to his native England for an acting career.

"The big plus now is we've lived a relatively long time and have something to say," Stuart mused in a telephone interview from his house on Monday night.

So why are they on the road again for their first tour since the 1980s?

Easy. If they don't do it now, they'll be left wondering what could have been, Stuart said.

They decided to take another whirl at touring after being part of a British Invasion retrospective that PBS filmed in Cleveland in 2003.

Though Stuart and Clyde have fond memories of their heyday, don't expect them to be stuck in that era. Stuart said one of the best compliments he received during the 1980s was from a reviewer who said they "weren't afraid to grow up."

He said their shows include a fair amount of ad-libbing and dialogue with the audience.

Discovered by movie composer John Barry, Chad & Jeremy used their image as clean-cut Englishmen to connect with Americans.

Their guest appearances on the TV shows "made us sort of The Monkees," he said, a suggestion that their musicianship wasn't taken as seriously as they would have liked.

No regrets, though. "The truth is, I wouldn't have missed being on The Dick Van Dyke Show for anything," Stuart said.

Longtime fans apparently haven't shaken the image of Chad & Jeremy together. Stuart said he's amused when asked how the two of them get along so well.

"I tell them that's easy, really," he said. "We live on separate continents and the last time we were together was in the 1980s."

The duo plans to release a new CD soon.

Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, known as Chad & Jeremy, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe St., Monroe. Tickets, $35 for adults, $32 for seniors, and $18 for students, are available from the box office. Information: 734-242-7722.

Contact Tom Henry at:

thenry@theblade.com

or 419-724-6079.